Arthritic Dogs With Hypoglycemia

Older canines will suffer the symptoms of dog arthritis to some extent later in their lives. Many of these animals will also have problems related to blood sugar disorders such as hypoglycemia in dogs. These pets will require special care when treating their symptoms of osteoarthritis. Many of the all natural treatments for dog arthritis also contain carbohydrates which may be harmful to diabetic and hypoglycemic canines. Because of this, it is important that all pet owners first ask their vet before giving their animal any product that may have a detrimental effect due to their existing conditions or disease.

It is vital that the canine's veterinarian be consulted before giving a diabetic dog or any other pet with blood sugar balance issues any supplement that may cause issues or have negative effects because of the hypoglycemia related disease.

Some of the new products available online which contain glucosamine for treating dog arthritis are now switching some of the carbohydrates they originally contained over to the natural product called stevia. But even with this switch, it is still important to consult with the K9's vet before giving any product.

If the doctor agrees that a given glucosamine product is safe to use on the pet with hypoglycemia, it is important to remember that this natural supplement does not mask the pain of the joint disease as many of the prescribed medications and drugs do. In fact, it can take several months for the glucosamine to actually begin showing benefits. The supplement aids in the rebuilding of the damaged tissues within the joint which causes the dog joint pain.

Many canine arthritis supplements suggest that the dose be doubled for the first week to ten days. If the dog is suffering from another disease, such as hypoglycemia in dogs, it might be advisable not to double up on the new product. In fact, with our own dogs who have various issues, we are quite careful when giving anything new. We usually give new medicines and supplements in very small doses in the beginning just to make sure the dog will not have any type of adverse reaction.

But again, after reading the previous paragraph, we want to reiterate how important it is to consult with the vet before beginning any supplemental regime and/or you consider modifying the doses in any way. Hypoglycemic dogs can have very rapid reactions with respect to their blood sugar issues. Even small changes in the dog's diet can have extreme effects on the disease and can cause sometimes life threatening circumstances.

Steve Weber has more information on his Cactus Canyon web site about treating canine arthritis with glucosamine for dogs.